


Patience is a Virtue (those who don't have patience steal babies)

by Kairin16, the_me09



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Attempted Kidnapping, M/M, Mpreg, even if done with good intentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 15:39:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairin16/pseuds/Kairin16, https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_me09/pseuds/the_me09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles and Erik have been together for ten years, Alpha and Omega. They have a wonderful marriage and Charles is grateful for what he has. That doesn’t mean he’s content with it.</p><p>For the past three years they’ve been trying their hardest to conceive. They’ve both had fertility tests and everything should be fine, but it’s not. Charles feels his biological clock ticking. The pressure to give Erik a baby is nothing compared to how much Charles wants a child. He would do anything to get a baby.</p><p>Even steal one. Or several.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience is a Virtue (those who don't have patience steal babies)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a joint work with my lovely the_me09 for Mpreg Big Bang, it was a pleasure working with you darling as always. Great thanks to our artist afrocurl who has created an amazing mix for the story.

**Author:** [](http://the-me09.livejournal.com/profile)[**the_me09**](http://the-me09.livejournal.com/) and [](http://kiriana16.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://kiriana16.livejournal.com/)**kiriana16**

 **A/N From The_me09:** For the [Mpreg Big Bang](http://mpregbigbang.livejournal.com/) A huge thank you to [](http://kiriana16.livejournal.com/profile)[**kiriana16**](http://kiriana16.livejournal.com/) for being a great writing partner <3\. As well as much appreciation for our mixer [](http://afrocurl.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://afrocurl.livejournal.com/)**afrocurl** for being such a good sport and taking us on. The mix is amazing and I listened to it twice during final edits. Fantasic  <3

The mix is [HERE ](http://afrocurl.livejournal.com/638881.html)so go download and comment on its perfection~

 

The most adorable little boy Charles had ever seen was wandering around the mall. All by himself. Charles bit his lip and let his mind reach out to the child’s. He was only two, a little blonde thing with chubby fingers and red cheeks. He looked like an absolute angel. Charles tried to distract himself with looking at handbags for Raven. Her birthday was coming up soon and he had yet to decide what to get her.

His concentration, however, wasn’t on picking out a handbag. The little boy, his name was Warren, far too dignified a name for the toddler, was looking up at Charles with bright blue eyes. He smiled at Warren and crouched down.

“Hello there, where are your parents?” Charles gently probed around the boy’s mind to get a picture of the woman who had brought him to the mall. The boy just giggled and reached a dimpled little hand out to him. How was he to resist such an adorable invitation?

Charles scooped the boy up, letting his little rump rest on one arm as he finished picking out a handbag. Warren seemed to be having a grand old time drooling on his shoulder and pointing at jewelry, which Charles had to admit, was very shiny indeed.

He paid for the purse and wandered back to the jewelry shop were Erik was idly playing with the metals while no one was looking.

“I see you’ve found a productive use of your time. Find anything for Raven?” Charles shifted Warren to his other arm; two year olds could be heavy. Erik turned to him and froze.

“Charles… where did you get that?”

He looked down at the bag. “Well it was on sale and Raven does love designer things. I don’t know exactly which color she’d prefer, but-” Charles looked up and blinked at the shade of red Erik’s face was slowly turning. He got a wave of exasperation. Warren tugged on his ear with a gurgle.

“I meant the baby, Charles. Where on earth did you get the baby? Unless that’s what the sale was, buy one bag get a baby half off.” Erik rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Charles shrunk a little and played with Warren’s hands, watching him grasp at Charles’ fingers and giggle.

“I found him, isn’t he precious?” Charles put on a smile, chirping happily. Warren didn’t know where his parents were, they obviously weren’t watching him well enough. If the people who had children weren’t going to take good care of them, why shouldn’t he have them?

“Charles, where did you find him?” Erik frowned, looking around them for someone worried about a missing child. No one was searching frantically; no one was calling for help. Warren’s presence or lack thereof, had yet to be noticed.

Charles bounced the happy little boy in his arms. “He was lost, he came to me. Apparently I have a soothing effect on children.” He smiled at Warren and rubbed his nose over the little boy’s, murmuring sweetly to him. Warren giggled and Charles’ heart melted a little. He wanted a baby so badly.

“You can’t just pick up a child and expect to take him home, Charles.” Erik said, getting a wary look in his eyes. He moved closer slowly, as if he suddenly expected Charles to snap at him like a rabid wolf. It was ridiculous. Charles hadn’t gone insane, he knew Erik was thinking it, could hear it plain as day.

Charles huffed. “I know that, Erik. But if this child’s guardians aren’t doing a good enough job, I don’t see why I can’t… borrow him.” Warren yawned, his little tongue poking out slightly and Charles was afraid his knees would go weak with adoration of the little angel. He hugged the little boy closer. “Look at how precious he is, Erik.”

“He’s cute, I guess.” Erik said gruffly and reached his arms out to take the toddler. Charles grinned and handed him over. Warren frowned and looked like he was about to start making a fuss until Charles started stroking his hair to calm him.

“See, he’s completely sweet.” Charles smiled and Warren smiled back at him with a coo.

“What do his parents look like?” Erik asked as he started walking back towards the purse shop. Charles followed after with an annoyed huff. He projected the image of Warren’s mother to Erik. They both caught sight of her at the same moment. Charles hung back as Erik strode directly up to her.

She gasped and listened to Erik, smiling gratefully as he handed Warren back. Charles took a shaky breath and smiled as Warren waved happily to him over his mother’s shoulder as the woman walked away. It felt like losing a child.

“Charles?” Erik gave him a worried look and rubbed his arms. “What’s going on? You know you can’t just pick up babies in the mall and take them home. She would have called the police and then what?” Erik put an arm around his shoulders and tucked him into his side.

Charles could feel tears coming to his eyes, hot and prickly. He tried to blink them back, but it was no good. “I just want a baby.” Charles sniffled and hid his face in Erik’s chest.

Erik hugged him closer, rubbing his hand up and down Charles’ arm. “I know, Charles. We’ll get there eventually.” He sounded tired, tired of giving these reassurances. Charles felt that Erik was just as unhappy about this as he was, could feel his disappointment.

“It’s been three years, Erik. We try every time and nothing happens.” Charles murmured and looked up at Erik. They had been trying actively for three years to get Charles pregnant. He was an Omega, it was his purpose to give his Alpha an heir and so far he’d been failing miserably. It wasn’t only biology forcing him into melancholy, though. He wanted a baby, wanted to cuddle that little body and mold a little mind, make a little person half him and half Erik.

But somehow, nature was decidedly against him, and he could only watch as all of his friends and family got what he wanted to have so much. Even Raven, his beloved younger sister, was expecting a baby boy soon. He couldn’t wait to see him and maybe play babysitter whenever Raven wanted him to, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same. He wanted one just for him and Erik, their own child that wouldn’t have to be given back at the end of the day and that they could shape in the way they wanted, spoil and raise as a good person. He sniffled harder and hid his face tighter in Erik’s chest; his husband’s arms tightened around him and held him securely. At least he had his Alpha, he wasn’t alone in this. And if they wanted something, they would succeed eventually. That’s how it was. He smiled shakily up at Erik and sent a wave of gratitude and determination to him, receiving a kiss in return. They would be alright.

~*~

Raven was delighted to receive the bag and Charles looked surprised when Erik gave her a package of his own. He almost forgot that his husband was buying her something too, absorbed as he was in Warren. He leant closer, as curious as to what was inside as his sister and almost gasped aloud when he saw a silver broach with a stork and an “It’s a boy!” engraving.Erik rubbed the back of his hand, in what Charles learnt to recognize was insecurity, and explained that she could put it on the lapel of her coat so she wouldn’t have to answer the questions of all the women in the beauty shop that she worked in.

Raven looked touched and grateful and Charles realized with a start that Erik must have made the piece himself and had to blinks back tears. Traditionally, it would be him receiving such a gift from his Alpha, not his sister, and that hurt more than he cared to admit. It was as if Erik had given up and didn’t care as much as Charles did about getting a child anymore. That hurt a lot.

Charles excused himself and ignored the worried projections his husband was sending to him. He needed to be alone for a moment. It was stupid of him to be jealous of his own sister, he should be happy for her. But it stung that she had everything he wanted to have. She found Azazel just a year ago and she was already pregnant, when he was not only older but had been with Erik for much longer. And there was no stork on his horizon. He swallowed bile and curled in the armchair in the library, sniffling pathetically.

“Charles?” Erik’s voice came from near the door, no more than ten minutes after he got there. “Are you alright?” His husband came closer and crouched before the armchair, his big hands splayed across Charles’ knees. Charles stared at them for a moment before flinging himself into his partner’s arms. Erik might have been surprised, but he didn’t hesitate in locking his arms around Charles securely and nuzzling his temple comfortingly. “What’s wrong, Liebchen? Talk to me.”

“I want a baby.” He sniffled into Erik’s shoulder and tightened his arms around the man’s neck. “I want one and Raven is getting one and I’m jealous and I feel bad for feeling jealous because she’s my sister and I love her and she deserves to have a child, but I still want it to be me.”

“You know we’ll get there,” said Erik with a sigh and Charles could feel that even Erik’s own thoughts were murky and unsure about the statement. It only made Charles to cling to him harder.

“You don’t believe that. No one believes that anymore.” He said, his voice wet and shaky, and then added in a whisper; “that stork should be mine. You should be giving it to me.”

Erik’s voice caught and he pulled Charles down from the armchair into his lap, holding him even closer than before. “That’s not true.” Erik said in a rough voice and Charles felt like a complete fool. This situation wasn’t hurting only him. Erik wanted a child just as much as he did. “We will have a young and then another and as many as you want. You’ll see.” His thoughts were still a little unsure about it, but they got a shimmer of determination under them and Charles plunged into his Alpha’s mind and relaxed, melting into the embrace. Erik welcomed him both physically and mentally and he couldn’t help but be grateful for finding the most perfect Alpha in the world for himself. How could he even doubt his husband?

~*~

Charles saw her when they were out in the park on their usual morning jog. Erik was a few paces ahead of him, not stopping when Charles bent down to tie his shoelace that came loose, the color bright and green, a prank gift from Raven that he loved anyway. The girl was alone, chasing a yellow butterfly across the clearing, no parents or guardians in sight. He knew he should be following Erik as quickly as possible if he didn’t want to lose his husband, but he couldn’t take his eyes from her. She couldn’t be older than four, in a light red dress and brown curls put into high ponytails. She looked like a little princess and Charles was striding to her even before he made a conscious decision. He couldn’t leave her alone after all, what if someone kidnapped her.

“Hello, Kitty.” He crooned to her softly, scanning her mind lightly for her name and the information about her parents. It seemed her father had gotten into a political discussion with someone and didn’t even notice when his daughter ran away. Undeserving idiot. The girl giggled and reached to him with her little arms. He scooped her up happily, gushing sweetly about how pretty she was and how precious.

There was no reason for them to just stand in the clearing so he started walking along the pathway in the direction Erik had disappeared, bouncing her happily on his hip. She was older than Warren, but decidedly lighter, less chubby. Charles was in love.

Kitty babbled happily to him about the butterfly and how she loved butterflies and princesses and everything pink. Her mother had done her hair for her and called her cute as a button, but she thought buttons weren’t that cute. Half of her babble was the unintelligible words of babyhood, nicknames for words she couldn’t pronounce yet, but Charles smiled and nodded at her, asking questions as he walked further along the path.

She was utterly precious, charming and smart for her age. He wanted to keep her desperately.

He didn’t notice Erik had stopped and was staring at him in judgment until he nearly walked into him.

“Charles…” Erik’s voice was low and warning. Kitty looked at him and her expression turned from bubbly happiness to a wobbly bottom lip in seconds. Charles smiled and shushed her, soothing her mind with his own. She calmed, but watched Erik with big eyes.

“Fine day for a jog, isn’t it?” Charles smiled cheerily. The smile dropped off his face as Erik crossed his arms, projecting disapproval loud and clear. “Erik, she was all by herself. What if someone just carried her off?”

Erik scoffed and put his hands up in exasperation. “Charles, someone _did_ just carry her off. You’re not her guardian!”

Charles stuck out his lower lip. “Well, exactly. If I could just carry her off, so could some creepy stranger. It’s not safe.”

It also wasn’t fair. Not one little bit. If these people who ignored their children and let them be kidnapped could have babies, he should be able to have one. It was a cruel twist of fate that made him the only Omega unable to give his mate a child.

“Charles…” Erik said low and warning. That tone meant Erik was down to his last nerve and didn’t want to have to use his status as Alpha to make Charles listen to him. Erik always gave him a chance to change his mind before ordering him to do something and it was rare that he had to.

“You’ll be a good girl for your daddy, won’t you, Kitty?” Charles asked with a soft smile, rubbing her back. She nodded enthusiastically. “And you won’t run off again?”

“Nope, I’ll be a good girl.” Kitty chirped and hugged Charles around the neck. He teared up, feeling stupid and angry that other people could have such amazing children and he couldn’t have one. He sniffled slightly and kissed her cheek before handing her over to Erik. He sent a picture of what her father looked like to Erik so he could find him and the rough location of where he was.

Kitty waved to Charles over Erik’s shoulder as he marched back down the path in search of Kitty’s real parent. Charles hugged himself and stayed in place. It would be too painful to watch her father react as if nothing had happened. Or maybe it happened all the time. Charles closed his eyes and tried to picture his own child, part him and part Erik. A little baby with big blue eyes, a little boy who would grow into Erik’s jaw. A little girl with chestnut waves of hair.

He started slightly when he felt Erik’s warm hand on his shoulder. He blinked up at Erik through his tears, trying to hold them back so he didn’t break down in the middle of the park.

“Oh Charles,” Erik said softly and pulled him to his chest. Charles burrowed into the circle of his arms and pressed his face against Erik’s shoulder, crying softly. He didn’t know whether he was crying over the loss of Kitty, or the idea that the children he imagined would never be his.

~*~

“Yeah, he just scooped her up and walked away.” Erik said in a hushed whisper. “It feels like I can’t take him anywhere there will be children. What if he gets caught? What if a family presses charges?”

“Wow, I didn’t think it was getting that bad.” Raven murmured back.

They were in the kitchen talking about him. He stood in the hallway, back to the wall and listened, feeling hopeless and angry. Why couldn’t Erik discuss this with him? Why did he have to go to Raven, behind his back and gossip about him?

“What are you going to do?” Raven asked.

Erik snorted. “What am I supposed to do? I just have to keep a better eye on him. I know he wants to give me young, but-” Erik’s hesitation was too long to be comfortable. Charles shifted a little closer to the door in case Erik had said something too low for him to hear. “But I don’t want someone else’s young. I don’t know if he gets that. He’s so crazy about babies it’s like anything will do.” Erik sighed and Charles could almost imagine his helpless shrug.

That was all he wanted to hear. They could carry on without him knowing. Maybe he shouldn’t have eavesdropped in the first place.

~*~

“My heat is supposed to start tomorrow, I’ve been keeping track.” Charles said as he curled into Erik’s chest. “Are you ready?”

“Charles, I’m always ready. We haven’t had sex since your last heat. I am so ready it’s pathetic.” Erik smiled fondly and rolled his eyes. Charles smiled and kissed Erik softly, getting a much more enthusiastic kiss than he’d bargained for. Erik rolled them over and kissed him hungry and so loving Charles felt the warmth of Erik’s affection spread all the way down to his toes.

“Wait- stop-” Charles giggled breathlessly as Erik kissed down his neck and behind his ear. “Erik, stop.” Erik huffed and pulled back to look down at him with one eyebrow raised expectantly. “We need to save that for tomorrow, I’m not on my heat yet.”

Erik rolled off of him with an exasperated groan. “Fine, Charles.” There was something like anger lurking in Erik’s voice and in his mind. Charles cuddled close, apologetic.

“Bright and early tomorrow, love.” Charles said softly and kissed the corner of Erik’s mouth. He closed his eyes and didn’t respond, leaving Charles to feel like he’d done something wrong when he knew he hadn’t.

The morning welcomed them bright and early and Charles was on his feet at least an hour before Erik even stirred. He had to make sure they would conceive this time with a hearty breakfast made from all of the foods he knew would help. He couldn’t exactly feel the burn of his heat, but he was aware that the older the Omega, the less prominent it was. Maybe he had entered the age when it was much milder than usual.

He leant over his husband and kissed him awake, smiling when he saw a sleepy grin blooming on Erik’s face. Before the man could even say good morning, Charles straddled his lap and kissed him more hot and hungry, rocking their hips together. His Alpha’s reaction was instant, hands gripping Charles’ hips in a tight hold and a hot tongue twining with his in the cavern of their mouths.

He moaned needily and rocked his hips again, reaching back to press two fingers into himself. He was already slick and stretched from his morning routine, but Erik’s cock was big and it never hurt to prepare himself a little more. Erik reached to help him, but he batted the hand away. His husband always took too long with it, when there were more important things to do together.

Erik broke the kiss to trail his lips over Charles’ jaw and neck, and he bared his throat obediently, pushing a third finger inside himself and scissoring them wide. Erik’s teeth closed over his collarbone and Charles took his fingers away and sunk down on his Alpha’s cock, groaning with pleasure. His husband choked on a moan and jerked his hips up, making Charles whine in his throat and cling to his shoulders. Erik had a silly affinity for foreplay that went on too long, but when he was finally inside, he knew what to do to make his Omega happy.

Charles started bouncing on Erik’s cock, the other man rocking his hips in a counter rhythm, making them both gasp and moan from pleasure. It didn’t take long for Erik to come and Charles closed his thighs tight around the man’s hips, refusing to move anywhere. Erik whimpered and Charles made a shushing noise, running a hand through short strawberry blonde hair, kissing the side of his Alpha’s face. It was just the beginning of his heat, he was going to wait for Erik to harden inside him again and make him come at least two times more before taking a break.

~*~

Charles was lying on his back; his legs propped up on the headboard and hummed happily. He was full of his Alpha’s come now and he was going to get pregnant this time, there was no other option. Erik was panting next to him and turned his face in the pillow when Charles grinned at him.

“I think you’re overreacting, darling,” Charles said with an amused curl to his lips.

“I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure I’m the one who came four times to your one.” Erik groaned and rolled onto his stomach for a short while before whimpering and rolling to his back again. “My dick hurts.”

“I would be too sensitive after coming for us to go on, you know that.” Charles pouted and poked Erik in the arm when the man shot him a glare. “Don’t be a baby.”

Erik sighed and sat up, turning to face Charles with a serious expression that made something catch in the Omega’s throat. It seemed they were going to have a serious discussion and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

“Charles, you have to know I’m not getting any younger.” Erik said with a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face. “You can’t make me come so many times in one go.”

“You’re managing somehow.” Charles answered, bottom lip jutted out stubbornly. They stared at each other for a moment before the Omega’s expression turned mischievous and he set his legs down, crawling closer to his Alpha. “I think you can make it five or six times even.” He purred, nuzzling under Erik’s jaw and kissing his pulse point.

“Charles, no, seriously, this is physically impossible.” Erik groaned, but Charles could feel his cock jerk under the hand he put over it.

“Liar~” Charles sing-songed and leant down over his Alpha’s body and licked over his limp cock, reveling in Erik’s soft whimper. He took the soft penis into his mouth and bobbed his head, sucking lightly, Erik’s hands in his hair encouraging instead of pushing him away. This was how it was supposed to be. He would get Erik hard with his mouth and then ride him again.

Erik moaned and Charles pulled off from the now half-hard cock to press his lips to the base and lick from that spot all the way to the head. He took it between his lips and trailed the tip of his tongue over the ridge, sucking lightly at the finish. His husband was fully hard now, and Charles grinned up at him before deciding to reward him for such a good job and giving him one more good suck. He pushed his lips down as far as his throat would let him go and pulled out.

He didn’t expect the explosion of come on his face, blinking baffled up at Erik.

“What?” He asked confusedly and Erik hid his burning face in his hands. “Really, Erik, that was just unnecessary. Couldn’t you wait for one more moment?” Charles said with a frown, reaching for the tissues and cleaning his face off. Really, so much precious semen to waste.

“You’re joking.” Erik croaked out and looked at him incredulously, receiving a glare in return. “You must be joking. Charles-” He stopped at the stormy look on his Omega’s face. Something shifted in his expression then, his jaw set with a click and his brows drew together. “I can’t believe you.” He growled, getting up from the bed and storming to the bathroom, closing the door with a thump.

Charles could feel waves of anger emanating from his Alpha, but he didn’t understand what Erik’s problem was. They both wanted a Young and sometimes it was as if only Charles really cared. He went back to his usual heat position with his legs elevated and pouted at the ceiling. Erik would be back in a moment, as long as he’d get over the huff he went into. Silly man.

~*~

To Charles’ bafflement and regret, Erik didn’t come back to bed that night. Charles dozed off not soon after their little argument, resting for the later rounds he was sure to instigate. When he woke, the clock said it was three in the morning and there was no sign of Erik and the bathroom light was off. Charles crept out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door lightly before opening it.

He didn’t know what he expected to find, Erik sleeping in the bathtub, perhaps? But Erik wasn’t there at all. Charles frowned and turned the light off, too tired for the moment to look further. He’d been strangely easy to tire lately, just another sign of his age catching up to him he supposed.

Charles crawled back into bed, curling on his side with an oddly bereft feeling. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander to Erik’s, finding him downstairs in the family room. Erik wasn’t asleep, but watching an old black and white film. Charles felt the remnants of anger lurking in his mind, frustration, and sadness were the most prominent. He wanted to go downstairs and curl into Erik’s side and fall asleep with him, the grainy light of the screen shining through his eyelids, but he didn’t. Charles stayed in their room, not sure if his presence would be welcome.

~*~

Charles crept downstairs the next morning, careful not to wake Erik. He would make a big breakfast to apologize and then they’d be back to baby making by the afternoon. Yesterday had been the prime day for pregnancy, but the second day still held good chances.

Charles put the coffee on for Erik and started making himself some tea as bacon sizzled in the pan. He hummed softly to himself, moving around the kitchen purposefully. He was getting the eggs out of the fridge when his stomach rolled sickeningly. Charles frowned to himself and set the eggs on the counter. The smell of the bacon was overpowering. The bubbling and popping sounds of the grease and fat, the smell of the viscous flab suddenly seemed horrific.

Charles made it to the bathroom just in time to empty his stomach into the toilet bowl. He stayed in the bathroom for several minutes; the smell of the bacon had followed him and only made him retch more. When he was certain he wouldn’t be vomiting again, he brushed his teeth and made his way back to the kitchen to throw away the bacon. There was clearly something wrong with the meat if the smell made him that sick.

Erik was standing over the stove, making sure the bacon didn’t burn and using his powers to chop up some onions and ham for omelets.

“Are you okay?” Erik asked, his tone was civil and his face was set into worried lines. They hadn’t made up yet, Charles knew, not only from Erik’s mind, but the set of his shoulders; but he wouldn’t ignore his Omega being ill for some petty disagreement.

“I think the bacon’s gone bad. The smell of it made me sick.”

Erik looked perplexed and sniffed the air. “It smells fine to me.”

Their morning was strained. They orbited each other, neither one willing to capitulate to the other. Erik thought Charles was being ridiculous about wasted semen, Charles heard him think it. He probably thought it purposely so Charles could hear. Charles wasn’t going to back down, though. Erik didn’t seem to understand that he only had so many years left before he wouldn’t be able to conceive.

His heat was so terribly mild this time he barely felt any twinge of longing or hunger. Charles just wanted to curl up with Erik and read. There was no burning desire to have his Alpha inside him. It terrified Charles that perhaps this was his last heat. Maybe yesterday had been the last window of opportunity and if he didn’t get pregnant now, maybe he never would.

  
~*~

“Charles you really don’t have to come with me if you’re not feeling well.” Erik ran his hand through Charles’ hair. He couldn’t help but lean into the touch, his Alpha’s touch was soothing. It had been a few days since Charles’ heat and though they hadn’t talked about it, Erik had gradually become warmer. Their relationship still wasn’t back to its normal state of closeness.

“I feel fine now; it’s not a big deal. You won’t get the right frosting.” Charles teased, nuzzling Erik’s wrist softly. “It’s just grocery shopping, Erik. If I start to feel sick I’ll find a bench and sit down.” He smiled at Erik softly and kissed the pulse in his wrist. Lately he’d felt even more sentimental than usual, wanting nothing more than to spend time with his Alpha, just needing to be close to him.

Charles wore Erik down with his puppy dog eyes. They held hands in the car, like they were newlyweds all over again and they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

The trip was a return to normalcy that Charles hadn’t realized he’d been missing. Sometime ago, and he didn’t know how long it had been, but far longer than the week since his heat, their relationship had become tense, but as they bickered over which cereal to get and how much milk was left in the fridge, Charles realized that something had loosened and from here they could get back to being happy.

He was feeling inordinately pleased with himself for winning the argument over which type of pasta sauce to buy when he caught sight of a little girl with her face pressed to a door in the ice cream section. She was singing to herself with the most charming accent. Charles walked down the aisle and smiled when she looked up at him with soft brown eyes.

“What kind of ice cream were you looking at?” He knelt down so they were eye level. The girl, Anne-Marie, smiled bashfully at him and jabbed her finger at the cookie dough ice cream. “I like that kind too.” He said with a soft smile. Her mother was a blonde harried looking woman, he picked up from Anne-Marie’s mind.

The woman was nowhere in sight.

He couldn’t very well leave that little girl alone in such a huge store; someone might kidnap her and then what? She might get hurt. It would be irresponsible of him as a potential parent to let that happen. Erik would get mad, though. Charles could easily envision Erik’s face scrunched into a scowl, the previous warmth gone from him like it was never there. But maybe he would understand. After that failed heat he would have known how unlikely it was that they would get their own child anymore, so rescuing one of these cuties could finally be okay.

Even as he excused himself inside his own mind, he was already paying for an ice-cream for Anne-Marie and scooping her up into his arms. She threw her arm around his neck, happily nibbling on her treat and babbling in a sweet manner about the toys she had at home. Charles would buy her that and even more if she would only keep being happy like she was now. Was it that horrible that he wanted to have a ball of sunshine like this in his life?

A quick sweep of the store showed that Erik was at the register paying for their shopping. One gentle mental nudge and he knew to not wait around for his Omega. Instead, Charles turned his steps straight to the parking lot, holding Anne-Marie close to him and talking to her cheerily about different flavors of ice-cream. The inside of the car was steamy hot so he kept the door open, bouncing the little girl on his knees and chanting a rhyme he remembered from his own kindergarten years.

He was almost to the end when there was the sound of throat clearing behind him. Charles turned around, smile firmly in place, but it froze when he saw the expression on Erik’s face. His husband looked thunderous and one didn’t have to be a telepath to feel the waves of anger radiating from him. Charles pulled Anne-Marie closer to himself and widened his eyes, hurt at his Alpha’s behavior; trying to show the man how important it was to him. He wanted to have a child, he would do anything, and his own mate was forbidding him from it.

Erik only tightened his lips and he didn’t have to utter the word out loud, the profanities and outraged narrative in his mind enough to break Charles’ heart already. He surrendered the little girl without another word, sending a picture of her mother to his husband and curling on his seat, not looking up. Erik was being unfair and cruel. First, he hardly even tried during Charles’ heat, because apparently being angry at something or another was more important than producing an offspring with his Omega. And now this; this ban on anything that could bring happiness into their home.

Was he wrong about Erik all these years? Was the man that heartless and Charles somehow hadn’t noticed before?

The ride home was spent in silence, Charles unwilling to speak to his Alpha, and Erik apparently too angry to even attempt a conversation. Charles just checked his husband’s mind enough to know that Anne-Marie was safe with her mother, the woman’s frazzled but relieved face wedged firmly in the forefront of Erik’s mind as if his Alpha wanted him to pick up on that most. It didn’t matter if she would cry over the missing child though, if the fact that it was taken away her own fault, Charles thought. After all, she left the little girl all on her own in the store full of potentially dangerous people. Something worse could have happened to the girl than Charles picking her up.

He was left alone in the kitchen to unpack the groceries and he did so very slowly and meticulously, not eager to go out and face the wrath of his Alpha. Especially since he didn’t understand why he was being so hard-headed. This was something they should both want, the offspring they would have, the little life they could create and then watch grow into its own person. But apparently Erik didn’t want that as much as Charles did.

And suddenly that thought made him angry, not sad anymore, but raging mad. How dared Erik deny him something so basic as having Young, first cutting him off during his heat and then using his Alpha advantage to take one he found on his own away. That wasn’t how an Alpha was supposed to act; he was supposed to support his Omega. Reproduction should be on his mind as much as it was on Charles’.

He stomped into Erik’s office and slammed the door behind him, glaring defiantly at his Alpha. Erik was still seething, sipping from a glass of some sort of alcohol. He glared back at Charles when he came in, setting the glass heavily on the desk.

“What the fuck was that, Charles? I thought we talked about fucking kidnapping other people’s children!” Erik spat angrily, leaning forward on the desk and oozing anger. Charles almost took a step back, his Alpha’s bad mood putting him in a defensive and subservient mode, but he learnt to not be ruled by his hormones a long time ago, so he stood his ground.

“That,” Charles said, balling his fists at his sides, “was me trying to bring some happiness into our marriage! Why won’t you let me?!”

Erik looked as if he was punched, blanching and straightening up. “So what you’re saying is that our marriage cannot be happy if you don’t have some kind of a baby in the house?” The words were quiet, but they were more deadly for it. “Is that what you’re saying?”

Charles blinked and opened his mouth to deny that stupid accusation. But then he paused and thought about it, and his next words were calm and hard.

“That is exactly what I’m saying. I cannot be happy without having a Young, Erik. You can accept it or not.”

His only answer was the door closing after his Alpha’s back.

~*~

Charles didn’t know where Erik had gone, the anger in Erik’s mind had kept him at a distance and now he was across the city. Charles could surmise that Erik was in a bar somewhere, it was his usual way of dealing with things. The longer Erik stayed away the worse Charles felt, but not because of what he said, because it was true, in fact he didn’t know why Erik was so completely upset. Usually this argument would be the other way around with the Alpha telling the Omega that they needed a baby.

He felt horrible because his Alpha was upset. It didn’t matter what he was angry about, only that he was angry and Charles was the cause.

Charles curled up in bed and when he woke the next morning Erik still hadn’t come home. For a moment he panicked and then the night came back to him. With his telepathy he could tell that Erik had gotten horribly drunk and was passed out in a hotel across town.

It was three days before Erik came home.

Each day Charles checked Erik’s mind, a light brush to see where he was and what he was doing, but that was all. If Erik wanted to sulk or be angry that was fine. Charles had learned to keep his hormones under control, but by the third day even he was crumbling under the aching separation.

When Erik walked in the door all he wanted to do was throw himself in his Alpha’s arms and beg forgiveness. But nothing was ever that simple. Charles stood in the doorway to the kitchen as Erik came in. They looked at each other before Erik turned and went to their room, closing the door and locking it.

Charles didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t know how to reconcile with Erik and it was eating at him. He stared at the kitchen counter and the feeling of crushing loneliness, the certainty that Erik would leave him grew stronger and stronger until he could do nothing but sob.

He would never have a baby and soon his mate would leave him for someone better and younger and who could give him Young. Charles knew it. Erik had already met someone, maybe that Omega was on his or her heat and that’s where Erik had been for three days. He’d shacked up with a fertile Omega and Charles would grow old and die alone.

Charles slumped down behind the counter and sobbed into his hands brokenly.

“Charles? Charles?” Erik’s worried voice startled him, but he couldn’t stop crying. “Charles, what happened? Did you hurt yourself?”

“I- I’m s-s-sorry,” Charles sobbed out, crumpling in on himself. Erik’s panic was a faint thrum at the back of his mind, but he could feel it.

“Charles? Oh Charles, I didn’t-” Erik held him close, speechless, rocking him slightly in an effort to calm him. Maybe it had something to do with their three day separation, but Charles felt much better. He calmed down, sniffling every now and then as Erik held him tight.

“What on earth, Charles?” Erik asked softly, one arm over his shoulder and the other pressed against his stomach. It was a strange way to hold someone but it had done the trick. Erik was still very angry with him, but worry and fear were stronger.

Charles turned his head to nuzzle Erik’s jaw, still breathing shakily from his breakdown. “I’m sorry, I- I’m not sure what that was.” He laughed softly and linked their fingers over his stomach. His woefully empty and nearly flat stomach. Erik, it seemed, was not ready to forgive and forget. He withdrew his hand and pulled Charles to his feet.

Erik looked at him for a second and Charles was allowed to see a glimpse of the hurt that his words had caused before Erik closed himself off. He ran a hand through Charles’ hair and wiped his tears, but he didn’t say anything and after a moment he left the room.

Charles hugged himself, feeling even further away than before.

~*~

The separation between them was steadily closing. Charles was trying his hardest to make things up to Erik. As much as he wanted a child, it wasn’t fair to take his pain out on Erik. Erik wasn’t the one letting them down. They’d both been tested, and for all intents and purposes they were both fertile. Real life wasn’t quite agreeing with the test results though.

Charles was on his way home from the grocery store. He hated going into the city, but he’d needed more than their average super market could provide. As he passed an alleyway he thought he heard crying, and he definitely picked up on someone’s fear. It wasn’t just simple fear though, it was terror and cold and dark. Charles stopped and looked down the alley; he only hesitated for a moment before going down the alley and following the mind to a large dumpster.

He set down his groceries, scanning the area around for any malicious intent. There was no one nearby. He climbed carefully on top of a trash can and opened the dumpster.

Teary blue eyes looked up at him, wide with fright. Charles’ heart broke as he reached into the dumpster and pulled the little boy out. His name was Scott and his parents had been in a plane crash. He had a brother, but the memories were all a little fuzzy because of his age and probably from trauma. Charles barely restrained his own tears, cradling the two year old close. The little boy clung to him.

Charles kept the boy close and picked up the grocery bags again. He didn’t care what Erik said, this little boy needed him. He pressed his lips to Scott’s temple and murmured reassurances to him. He tried to get the boy to talk, but he quickly fell asleep on Charles’ shoulder. He was lucky the boy slept for the entirety of their car ride, because he didn’t have a proper toddler seat in his car.

“Erik, I picked up a little something extra, on the way. Please hear me out before you start yelling,” Charles projected ahead of them so Erik would at least be on guard.

He set the groceries in the kitchen and set the dozing toddler on the counter, propping him up as he carefully washed the little boy’s face. It was unclear how he’d gotten into the dumpster, but it was clear that no one would be looking for him. Charles kissed his forehead, entranced by the round little cheeks.

“You’re safe now.” Charles said softly and took the boy into the living room. He couldn’t let go of the fragile little body. His scent seemed to calm the boy, allowing him to sleep for the first time in at least two days. He’d been too frightened in the dumpster to close his eyes.

Erik walked into the room and stopped dead, his face went blank, but his mind erupted in rage. He stalked over to the couch, towering over them. Charles looked up from the angel’s face cradled in his arms.

“What is that?” Erik hissed. “We’ve been over this before, Charles, my god. What were you thinking? What will his parents think? Where did you get this one?” Erik growled, plucking the sleeping babe from his arms.

“I found him in a dumpster, Erik. His parents are dead.” Charles said softly, projecting calm and reassurance to Scott as he woke, confused and frightened by Erik.

That seemed to give his husband a pause, his anger vanishing like a flame doused by water. Charles held his breath for a moment, but it seemed that no matter what happened between them, Erik still trusted in him enough to believe his word, even if something unbelievable like this happened. With the lack of anger came guilt about scaring the little boy and Charles watched amazed at how Erik softened, offering his apologies to Scott and coming slowly closer. The little glimpse of the father Erik could have been almost pulled Charles back into tears.

“He was so scared.” Charles whispered, his voice shaky, when Erik was close enough to touch. Scott was still mistrustful, but seeing as his savior didn’t shy away from the big scary man, he relaxed slowly and allowed Erik to touch him without crying. The older man took this opportunity to pull both Charles and his little find into his arms and Charles gratefully sunk into the embrace, craving his Alpha’s comfort like never before.

“It’s alright, Charles.” Erik said softly, pressing his lips to Charles’ temple and causing a sob to escape from his throat. “You’re both alright now.”

They stood like that, curled close to one another for Charles didn’t know how long and it was perfect, this was what he wanted. A family. A little pack to call his own and to love and protect, even though Erik disapproved of his methods of gaining one. Charles was afraid that he was the only one of them who wanted to have a child anymore, but he could see he was wrong now. Erik curled around them both protectively and held them tight, relieved beyond measure, although why Charles couldn’t tell.

~*~

Charles didn’t think he could ever be happier than when he was just resting, reading, or grading papers from the University while Erik played nearby with Scott. It finally felt like a proper family and his heart swelled every time he saw the two together. Erik was still a little skeptic about whether they could just pull a child from the dumpster, but Charles employed his best lawyer to look into the case. Child Services visited them and talked to both of them in great detail about what happened that day and if they even wanted a child.

The answer was very obviously yes and even a blind person could see it. The verdict was that they would look into Scott’s background and see if he had any living relatives, but if there were none; Charles and Erik could keep him as far as the legal matters were concerned. They would just have to file official adoption papers. That wasn’t something Charles considered before and maybe he should have instead of attempting to kidnap babies from the stores. He chuckled at his antics now; in retrospect it all looked a little bit silly.

There was still a distance between him and Erik, but it was slowly growing smaller the longer they spent together and didn’t have to worry about the issue that had plagued them for so long. Charles still couldn’t exactly understand why Erik had gotten so angry at him that day, but he supposed it wasn’t that important when he had his mate and their child being silly and rolling on the ground while making tiger noises. That wasn’t a moment that could be broken by any bad thoughts.

He still had occasional nausea spells, especially at some strong scents, but it was getting better. It seemed that the price he’d have to pay for that was a pain in his lower back and being tired a little more, but he was just glad he could eat now without fear of having to sacrifice it to the toilet again. He missed being able to eat without worrying about consequences. Sometimes during that sick spell of his he felt like a teenage girl with body issues. Whatever came in had to come out.

Raven visited them some time after they had signed adoption papers, her stomach was for a moment the most interesting thing in the world for little Scott. She laughed and indulged the boy in telling stories about pregnancy and how there was another little boy growing inside her tummy. Charles watched it all, warmth growing in his chest and leaning into Erik with a smile on his face. It was utterly adorable and he couldn’t look away from the sight of wonder on his son’s face.

“Can we talk?” Erik murmured into his ear and pressed his lips to Charles’ temple again. For some reason lately it had become his weak spot and it didn’t fail now, making him melt into his Alpha with a soft noise, a steady purr growing in his chest. Erik chuckled and pressed them closer, nuzzling at Charles’ hair and radiating a contentment that Charles hadn’t felt from him for longer than he would like to admit. Certainly even longer than Charles’ crusade of taking a child from someone unworthy was going on. It gave him a little pang of uncertainty, because he didn’t know what caused his mate so much unhappiness, but he dismissed it quickly. There was nothing he could do about it now and Erik was happy again so did it really matter?

“Charles?” Erik said again, rubbing their cheeks together and surrounding Charles with his protective Alpha scent. Charles giggled and pressed his nose into the space between Erik’s shoulder and neck, letting himself be marked and swaying with Erik to some unheard melody. “I think we really should talk.”

“Okay.” Charles said after humming happily to express his feelings over staying that close to his Alpha. Usually he didn’t really need as much affection, but after their tense period every little kiss, hug, and nuzzle was like a blessing and Charles was not going to waste any of it. Besides, it felt much better recently, as if Charles had less control over his hormones lately, which seemed unlikely.

Erik led him into the library, letting Raven watch Scott for a little while. Charles couldn’t deny the pang of paranoia and fear of leaving his child alone, even though he knew Raven was perfectly capable of taking care of him.

Charles stayed close to Erik, nuzzling his jaw until Erik pulled them both into a large plush armchair. Charles curled on Erik’s lap happily, grateful not to be made to let go.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” Charles said with a lazy smile. There was something extra handsome about Erik when he looked happy. It made Charles happy too, all the strain in their relationship had been smoothed over.

“I wanted to talk about the fights we had.” Erik said and kissed him softly, probably to alleviate the sudden terror Charles was feeling. What if he was wrong and Erik was as mad at him as ever? What if he was just being nice out of pity? “Liebling, whatever you’re thinking, I’m sure it’s wrong.” Erik smiled and nosed at his jaw. “It occurred to me that you don’t understand why I was so angry with you.”

Charles frowned slightly and bit his lip. “Not really, no.”

Erik sighed softly and turned him so they could look at each other. “I thought not. Remember what you said? In my office?” Charles winced slightly and nodded. The memory was still fresh. He hadn’t quite meant what he said, he was happy with Erik, but a Young had indeed made him so much happier.

“I remember.” Charles stroked a hand over Erik’s cheek. That sad pensive look had returned and Charles didn’t want it to stay there. He wanted back the soft look Erik had whenever he was with Scott.

“Charles, you basically told me that I could never make you happy.” Erik said with a look that was serious bordering on angry. “I heard that my love wasn’t enough for you.”

Charles felt like he’d been hit in the chest. In the heat of the moment he’d been angry and hurt and perhaps his baby mania wasn’t hurting only him. He opened his mouth to pour out apologies and beg Erik’s forgiveness, but Erik put a finger to his lips. It hadn’t been fair of him to take his pain out on Erik. He should have been more considerate of how not being able to conceive was affecting Erik.

“I’m not done, Charles.” Erik said softly, stealing a quick kiss to reassure him. “I think we should stop trying so hard to have a baby. We have Scott now, and quite frankly, I’m not sure if I can handle it any longer. Do you know how long it’s been since we’ve had sex just for the fun of it?” Erik asked with a soft laugh that wasn’t quite honest. He was hurt and trying to cover it up. Charles thought hard, but he couldn’t remember the last time he and Erik had had sex outside of his heat.

“I’m sorry, Erik.” Charles said, kissing Erik softly and cupping his face. He would make it up to Erik; show him just how much Charles loved him. “I love you.” He mumbled into Erik’s lips.

“I love you too, ridiculous man.” Erik said softly, grinning as he pulled Charles closer and kissed him breathless.

There definitely had been something missing, but Charles was pretty sure they had rediscovered it.

~*~

Charles felt something like indigestion for the hundredth time that week. It was making him nervous. He’d never had such trouble with his stomach and food. But every now and then he got a fluttery feeling that made him worry he would get sick in a few hours.

He’d begun gaining a lot more weight recently as well. It felt like he was eating the same things, but he was gaining weight regardless. Erik professed not to notice a difference, but if Charles stood sideways he could almost see himself gaining a small belly.

It was after Charles started craving ice cream, bacon, and pickles that he put together several pieces. His heart leapt into his throat. Was it possible that after all this time his wish had been twice granted?

He rushed down to Hank’s lab, interrupting his work and begging him to run an ultra sound and take a blood test. Charles could barely keep still during his ultra sound he was so excited. If his suspicions weren’t confirmed he’d probably become a wreck, but he didn’t have to worry about that, because after a moment of searching, Hank found a steady heartbeat.

A baby.

Charles teared up and put a hand over his mouth, overwhelmed with gratitude. He was pregnant, after all this time. Hank managed to take a picture of the fetus with the sonogram and Charles couldn’t get to Erik fast enough. Scott was down for his nap and Erik was sitting in his office, staring thoughtfully at the baby monitor.

“Erik!” Charles bounded into the room and threw himself in Erik’s lap, beaming and nuzzling his jaw. Erik made a surprised noise and let out a startled laugh, wrapping his arms around Charles instinctively. It warmed Charles to his very core to know that they were going to have a Young. They would have two children in just a year. It was nearly a dream come true.

“What is it, Liebling?” Erik chuckled and hugged him close, settling Charles more comfortably on his lap.

“We’re having a baby.” Charles said with a huge grin, resting his forehead against Erik’s. He felt Erik’s thoughts stop in shock. There was a complete emptiness and then the roar of joy as Erik kissed him hard and excited. They didn’t have much finesse, but the enthusiasm was tangible. Erik pulled back with a surprised look.

“Are you sure? Charles, this- how far along?” Erik set Charles on the desk and pressed an ear to his stomach, making Charles laugh.

“Five months. I should start showing more soon.” Charles beamed and kissed Erik’s head.

“Well, it would explain why you’re going so soft around the middle.” Erik said, grinning and hiding his face in Charles’ stomach. Charles let out an enraged yell and pushed at his husband’s shoulder, making them both slip from the chair onto the floor. It ended up in a happy roll around the carpet and Erik finally pinned him down and kissed him breathless, which despite the jab at his weight made Charles feel light as air.

~*~

Judging by the luck he had so far with the way the pregnancy announced itself with his hormones; Charles should have expected that the fates wouldn’t let him be so perfectly happy for long. They were just sitting down to breakfast and planning a ride into town to take Scott to see the new Pixar movie when the phone rang. As he was too busy with feeding their son to even contemplate getting up, it fell to Erik to do so. If it was important Charles would pick up on it anyway from his mate’s mind. And pick up he did.

Erik went stiff as a board in the hallway, the receiver pressed to his ear hard enough to leave marks and the plastic creaked ominously under his fingers. One wouldn’t have to be a telepath to realize something was wrong. Charles additionally got a wave of rage, sadness, helplessness and denial so strong that he got dizzy from it for a minute. Or it might have been the smell of bananas before him, but he would bet on Erik’s emotions. It took him a moment to untangle them all to get to the root of the problem causing them and when he did he had to suck in few shaky breaths to not start crying.

There was a pair at their nearest child service office claiming to be the adoptive parents of Scott. Apparently they had all the required papers and evidence ready and if they were to have their way, Charles’ little baby would have to go with them no later than this evening. He passed Scott to Raven without a word, ignoring her questioning look and went to his office. He would do everything in his power not to give up that little boy who brought so much light into their life. Besides, they deserved to keep him, unlike whoever claimed to be his legal guardians. Charles found Scott in a place and in a state that clearly talked about abusive, emotional and physical. No one who just left a child in the garbage or cared so little as to let him get lost and end up there deserved the privilege to be a parent. Just a little call and his lawyers were on their way to the CS office. They were not losing Scott.

When he emerged from the office, Erik was already off the phone and clearly waiting for him. Charles curled into his arms and hid his face, holding back tears, trying to just take comfort from the presence of his Alpha. It was hard to achieve when he could hear Scott’s happy laughter coming from the living room where Raven took him after breakfast, the laughter that could disappear from their house any day now, like it was never there. He realized he was projecting his anxiety when Erik’s arms tightened around him and his husband started shushing him gently.

“I don’t want to lose him.” Charles said, clinging that much harder to his Alpha, tears held at bay only by the sheer force of will.

“We won’t, love, we won’t. Any blind lawyer could see what Scott was through with these people, and yours aren’t blind or incompetent. They won’t let anyone take him away from us.” Erik answered him and nuzzled his ear softly; more of a breath than touch that instantly made Charles melt into him.

Erik was right, they wouldn’t lose Scott. They couldn’t. He was paying these people too much to even contemplate losing any case, especially one as important to him as this one. He let Erik steer him to the brightly lit living room and smiled happily when Scott pushed himself to his little feet and came toddling to them with a happy screech the moment he saw them coming. It was the best feeling in the world, holding his Young while his Alpha stood right beside him. And maybe they had a baby on the way now, but Scott would always be their first and Charles would not let anything change that.

Even so, the next few days were spent in tension that grew every time a phone rang. It was a good sign that no one came to take Scott away on that first day, but the longer it took for anyone to confirm that the boy was staying in the mansion, the more nervous Charles grew. It was bad enough that he stopped leaving their son at all, spending every waking minute with him. He would just sit in the nursery watching the boy sleep if it wasn’t for Erik who always patiently came to fetch him and tucked him into their own bed, curling around Charles as if he was afraid that his Omega would try to leave the room the first change he got. It wasn’t outside probability.

After a week of that, when Charles felt like he couldn’t stand it anymore without snapping, the office called with happy news. Charles’ lawyers had made a brilliant enough case that it was impossible for the judge to reach any other decision but the one in their family’s favor. Scott would be staying with them, completely lawfully and his former foster parents would be charged with not only abuse but abandonment as well. By that point Charles could care less about what would happen to those awful people as long as they would stay as far away from his family as possible. The only thing that mattered was that Scott was staying. He was staying forever and Charles would never have to lose him again.

That night, instead of shepherding Charles to bed like every evening that past week, Erik brought Scott to bed with them and they both curled around their Young, making a protective nest for him. Charles smiled gratefully at his wonderful Alpha and caressed his own stomach; never more certain as in that moment that their second child would have everything it could possibly dream of. A safe home, loving sibling, and a father who would dote on it like crazy. Charles fell asleep quickly and dreamt of light and rainbows and laughter, always filling the mansion from then on.

~*~

The last few months of Charles’ pregnancy felt idyllic. He grew rounder and pinker and ever more content with his life. Scott was well behaved, the sweetest boy Charles ever saw. Erik doted on them both, utterly devoted.

Raven had her baby, a little boy with her beautiful blue skin and a tail like Azazel. Scott was entranced and Charles could happily see many play dates and a close friendship developing between the two. He couldn’t wait to watch them grow up together, yet wanted them to stay little forever.

Charles went into labor in the middle of the night. Thankfully they had Raven on baby alert and she was ready to watch over Scott so Charles and Erik could go to the hospital.Erik was surprisingly frazzled during the process. Charles would have laughed at him if the contractions weren’t so painfully intense.

Nine hours later Charles was holding his Young in his arms. His daughter. Her little face was scrunched in sleep; a dusting of light green hair covered her head. Charles pressed his nose gently against her cheek and inhaled.

She was perfect.

~*~

“Erik, please, you can’t just jog ahead now, we have the children.” Charles huffed as Erik jogged a circle around them. Scott giggled and chased after Erik around the stroller while Lorna babbled and gummed on her fingers. She was such a happy baby.

“I wanted to jog by myself.” Erik rolled his eyes good-naturedly, scooping up Scott and jogging with Scott in his arms. “I guess this is a different kind of workout.” He set Scott down and let the boy chase him around until Scott plopped on the grass in exhaustion.

To Charles’ delight and surprise, the little girl he’d scooped up over a year ago pranced toward them, her father trailing behind. He was in a serious discussion with another man in a business suit. Kitty ran over and flopped on the grass next to Scott, uncaring how her dress ballooned up.

The two started talking to each other in their little kid babble. They were utterly precious, but thankfully Charles felt no urge to carry Kitty off with his other little ones. He crouched down in front of Lorna to play with her while Erik finished his jog, lapping around the park once more before stopping at his side to do some stretches.

Charles admired Erik as he finished his workout and was gifted with a sweaty hug and nuzzle. He huffed and stole a kiss before putting an arm around Erik’s waist. They watched Scott and Kitty talk about bugs and pull up grass.

“Let’s have another,” Charles blurted out, feeling warm and contented in the spring sunshine. He had two young ones and a loving mate. Life could hardly get better. Erik glanced at him and smiled indulgently.

“We’ll see.”


End file.
